Julia Burdelski stories, Page 17
Covid spurred both public health advances and science skepticism
One of the nation’s most outspoken vaccine experts believes the U.S. is already forgetting a critical lesson reinforced during the covid-19 pandemic: Vaccines save lives. Dr. Peter Hotez said increased vaccine hesitancy, misinformation and politicization are jeopardizing people’s health. As dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor...
Police searching for missing Mt. Oliver man
The Penn Hills Police Department is asking the public to help locate a missing man. Courtney Charles, 35, of Mount Oliver, was recently reported missing by his family, police said. He was last seen near McKeesport Hospital. Police said they had also received a tip that Charles may have been...
No injuries reported as house collapses in Troy Hill fire
No one was injured Sunday when a fire destroyed a house in Pittsburgh’s Troy Hill neighborhood, public safety officials said. The blaze was reported around noon at the intersection of Herman and Adair streets, near Lowrie Street. The main building collapsed. Heavy smoke poured out of the building, widely visible...
Pandemic led to radical, lasting changes in health care industry
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Pandemic led to radical, lasting changes in health care industry
When covid-19 struck, Natalya Rodriguez, fresh out of nursing school, watched as a flood of overwhelmed colleagues abandoned the health care field. Nothing had prepared nurses in the U.S. for a pandemic — or the death and fear it brought. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing estimated 100,000...
Some protest Musk’s DOGE efforts while others celebrate them outside North Hills Tesla dealer
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has too much power as he advises President Donald Trump and spearheads efforts to slash the size of the federal government through his DOGE Service, Isaac Elias said Saturday. It’s the reason Elias, 43, of Baden in Beaver County, helped organize a series of protests outside...
New Pittsburgh Housing Authority board nominees tour Manchester with Gainey
Jala Rucker loves Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood so much she tells her kids that when she dies, she wants to be buried in her backyard. She loves her neighbors. She loves that her kids are known in the area. She loves how the tight-knit Manchester community prides itself on keeping its...
Recount confirms O’Connor edged out Gainey for county Democratic endorsement
A recount has confirmed Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor won the Allegheny County Democratic Committee’s endorsement for Pittsburgh mayor in the spring primary, beating out Mayor Ed Gainey by a razor-thin margin. The final vote was 274-270, said committee Chair Sam Hans-Greco. Six Pittsburgh committee members did not vote. Hans-Greco...
Pittsburgh Planning Commission approves $31M Arts Landing project Downtown
A $31 million overhaul in Downtown Pittsburgh that will create an outdoor recreation and event space earned approval Tuesday from the Planning Commission. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is looking to breathe new life into an underutilized, 4-acre site that stretches down 8th Street from Fort Duquesne Boulevard along the Allegheny...
Democratic committee endorses O’Connor over Gainey, but tight margin triggers recount
Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor on Sunday narrowly beat out Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey for the Allegheny County Democratic Committee’s endorsement in what is shaping up to be a hotly contested mayoral primary in May. The committee in a social media post said the tally was close enough to trigger...
Gainey announces plan to shield long-time Pittsburgh homeowners from property tax hikes
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Friday announced an initiative to protect longtime homeowners in the city from property tax hikes. The goal, the mayor said, is to ensure that people who own homes in neighborhoods where property values are skyrocketing don’t find themselves struggling to pay their taxes if their...
Gainey, O’Connor trade barbs over campaign money from GOP donors
Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey on Monday slammed his opponent in the upcoming Democratic mayoral primary race for accepting campaign donations from Republicans. But Gainey acknowledged he’s taken money from GOP contributors, too. His challenger, Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor, said he’s proud to have gathered a diverse array of voters...
‘It’s life and death’: Advocates fear dangers of any Medicaid cuts
Erin Gabriel for the last 15 years has relied on Medicaid to cover the costs of doctor’s appointments, medications, physical therapists and tests to help her daughter Abby navigate life with disabilities. Abby is autistic and non-speaking and uses a wheelchair. Doctors are still learning more about a rare, progressive...
After slow start, Pittsburgh Land Bank finds affordable housing success in Hazelwood
Standing outside a blue house built on a once-blighted site in Hazelwood, Pittsburgh officials on Thursday trumpeted an all-too-rare success story for the city’s land bank — one they hope becomes more frequent. Mayor Ed Gainey and others were showing off a newly constructed home on Flowers Avenue, one of...
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership unveils plans for newest city festival, The Thaw
The Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership on Wednesday unveiled plans for the newest addition to its festival lineup, a celebration called The Thaw to mark the transition from winter to spring. It will be held in Market Square on eight days over three weekends next month. The Thaw will include family-friendly activities...
Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus strikes pedestrian in Oakland
A woman was hospitalized after being hit Wednesday by a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Fifth Avenue at McKee Place, according to Andrew Carr, a transit agency spokesperson. Carr said a route 75 Ellsworth bus hit the pedestrian, who suffered...
Snowplow woes force Pittsburgh officials to explore asking for help clearing roads
With nearly a third of Pittsburgh’s snowplow fleet out of commission, some city officials want to ask their neighbors for help. Councilwoman Erika Strassburger, D-Squirrel Hill, said neighboring municipalities often seem to treat roads more efficiently than Pittsburgh. She wants to explore paying them to treat Pittsburgh roads after they’ve...
Groups battle anew over Pittsburgh referendum effort targeting ties to Israel
Pittsburgh’s business ties to Israel are once again stirring controversy. In November, pro-Palestinian group Not on Our Dime tried to let voters decide whether to ban the city from doing business with companies linked to Israel. But a challenge to the signatures sunk that effort. Now the group is trying...
Fixes not fines: Pittsburgh wants to aid, not punish, poor homeowners with crumbling sidewalks
Pittsburgh will consider expanding a program to help poor homeowners fix dilapidated sidewalks outside their houses rather than slapping them with fines for failing to make pricey repairs. City Council in 2023 authorized a pilot program for the city to repair sidewalks at a discounted rate for low-income homeowners. Homeowners...
Pittsburgh council OKs tax incentive for Esplanade development
Pittsburgh City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a critical tax diversion for Esplanade, a sprawling $740 million development planned along the Ohio River. The developer, Cecil-based Piatt Companies, will now turn its attention to seeking similar approvals from Allegheny County and Pittsburgh Public Schools. If the measure is approved by...
Republican challenger sets sights on Lavelle’s Pittsburgh council seat
Republican Jacob Dumont on Monday announced he’s running for Pittsburgh City Council, aiming to unseat council’s president, Democrat R. Daniel Lavelle, in November’s general election. Dumont, 33, of Marshall-Shadeland, operates Northside Action Media, an online platform covering news from around Council District 6, which he now hopes to represent. The...
Leechburg Scouting America troop sees 1st girls cross over from Cub Scouts to newly co-ed troop
Lydia Cummings and Ivy McCollough on Sunday became the first girls in Leechburg to move from Cub Scouts to Scouting America, the official new name for Boy Scouts of America since early this month. The two became friends in Cub Scouts and were eager to participate in a ceremony officially...
Protesters push back on Trump agenda at Squirrel Hill rally
As she stood at a bustling street corner Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, Courtney Anderson said she was thinking about how yanking funding from public schools or dismantling the federal Department of Education could impact underprivileged children. Anderson, 49, of West View, joined throngs of protesters at the...
From Allegheny Center to Windgap, councilman wants police chief nominees to meet Pittsburghers where they are
A Pittsburgh councilman wants to make sure that residents across the city get a crack at grilling any police chief nominee before City Council votes on the appointment. City Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, said he hopes to introduce a bill within several weeks to require six public meetings — one...
Coghill laments not using more federal funds to upgrade Pittsburgh’s battered snowplows
Pittsburgh Councilman Anthony Coghill desperately wants to upgrade the city’s aging and unreliable vehicle fleet. But he worries the best chance to do so — at no cost to Pittsburgh — has slipped by. After a snowy holiday weekend that saw numerous city plows out of service, Coghill told TribLive...
